Octopus in vinegar sauce

"Sarakosti" (the 40 day Lent before Easter) is not so difficult to follow after all. As long as you know what the family likes regarding vegetables and seafood, then it is easy to organize things accordingly. One popular and versatile ingredient is the octopus. There are so many different ways to cook it and enjoy it as a main meal or as a meze. There is only a rule regarding octopus, regardless the recipe. Don't add any water in the pot while boiling, leave it to cook in its own juices otherwise it can become rather hard. Great also as a meze dish to accompany your ouzo in the Summer time

Ingredients (for 4-6 people)

For the cooking:
1 whole octopus, about 1Kg
½ tea-cup of plain vinegar
1 tsp of black peppercorns
1 tsp of whole allspice
2 bay leaves

For the marinade:
1/3 tea-cup of plain vinegar
½ tsp of dried thyme
½ tsp of dried oregano
salt
pepper

For serving:
olive oil
finely chopped flat-leaf parsley

Method:
Put the octopus, whole as it is, in a large pot without adding any liquid and leave it on medium heat (with the pot covered) to simmer until its own juices are free. Then add the vinegar and the spices and stir with a wooden spoon.

Turn the heat to medium/low and leave the octopus to cook until it is really soft. When it is ready and after it has cooled down enough to handle it, cut the octopus into bite size pieces. Season with a bit of salt if it is needed (octopus can be rather salty by nature).

Put the octopus in a spacious bowl (or a sterilised jar), drizzle with the vinegar, season with pepper and the herbs, except the parsley. Cover the bowl with cling film and leave in the fridge to marinate for at least one day.

Serve as a meze on a platter, along with some of its juices, drizzling on top with the parsley and some olive oil.